A look  in on the relationship of Mai and Lin
by Amethyst Skulkyrie Cain
Summary: First one is a multi chapter, then it'll be oneshots. All evolve around Lin x Mai. T just to be safe.
1. In the beginning

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ghost Hunt. My first fanfic of them. **

**It came to me while watching Silent Christmas, on the first series.**

**Enjoy, and please review. Probable OOC. **

**One last note: This is a multi chaptered fic, then it'll be oneshots. Sometimes it follows the time lines of cases, and other times, like this one, I've made it up. **

**I take suggestions :)**

**Mai's PoV**

Lin and Naru were sitting quietly in Lin's office, softly discussing a case that had recently come up. It was a troublesome ghost that possessed people and then threw them down the stairs. This normally left them injured in some way. Weirdly, they all ended up breaking or fracturing their necks. It was December 23rd, and Mai was putting up decorations in Lin's office. He hadn't objected, just given her a small smile that made her blush delicately.

After 20 minutes, Naru sighed, resigned, and agreed to take the case. Mai's happiness was short-lived, however, when...

"Mai, tea. And since you draw danger everywhere, Lin, go with her."

"Stupid, narcissistic, tea – loving jerk!" Mai mumbled this, and Lin secretively grinned. Their arguments entertained him no end, though he never showed it.

While the kettle was boiling, Mai added teabags and sugar, then pulled out two more cups and filled them with tea bags and sugar too. She hadn't asked Lin if he wanted one, because she hadn't needed to. If Naru had tea, Lin had tea.

Pouring in the water and milk simultaneously, Mai put the kettle back down and put the milk in the fridge, handing a yellow duck cup to Lin.

"Here, Lin – san."

"Thanks." Grinning, Mai picked up her and Naru's tea, carrying it back to the office.

"Naru. Tea."

With a grunt, he cleared some space for her to put it down on. Mai stood there for a while, just watching her boss.

"Don't you have work or something to do?" Grumbling again, Mai stalked into the main room, and sat on the sofa, leaning backward and closing her eyes.

The couch dipped slightly, and Mai felt a weight join her on the couch.

"When are we leaving for the case?"

There was silence, then a soft answer. "Tomorrow at 6am." Mai's eyes flew open, and she jolted forward.

"6am? Is he crazy?" Lin shrugged, and watched, amused, as Mai threw her hands up in annoyance. "Anyway, he said that you should stay here tonight, so that we don't have to wait for you to arrive. Naru's punctuality is very strict, so... if you stayed in my office tonight – Naru's request, you understand – then I could wake you up before we go."

Nodding, but slightly dazed, Mai got off of the sofa, and yawned. Lin raised his eyebrow at the girl stretching, like she just got up, before him.

Shaking himself inwardly, Lin retreated back to his office, and was about to shut the door, before he heard a murmur of: "I'm always left alone, and yet Naru moans about me attracting danger, which then leads to me being accompanied everywhere. So why isn't someone in here with me, if I'm that bad?"

Lin nodded to himself, and shut the door. She had a point. A very valid point. Turning to his computer, Lin did some more University work, before sending it off to his Sensei. Looking at the clock, Lin discovered it was 9pm. Time to go to bed.

Opening up MSN, Lin typed a message to Naru.

**Time for Mai to come to bed?**

_Yes. Tell her to make tea first, though. You can go to bed as well. Busy day tomorrow._

**Sure. Where is she sleeping?**

_With you. Not like that, you understand. But there in the room with you._

**Of course, tea will be there soon.**

_Good. Hurry up, though. I'm running out of tea._

Lin couldn't stop the blush that rose to his cheeks, and he rolled his eyes at Naru's impatience. Cracking open his office door, he opened it enough to see Mai fall off of the couch.

Walking over to her, he shook her awake.

"Mai. Make Naru tea." Lin made his tone irritated, and hurt flashed briefly through her eyes, before she composed herself. Planting a fake smile on her face, she got up, and walked into Naru's office.

"Mai, tea."

"I know, Naru."

"Lin, go with her." Sighing to himself, Lin lead the way into the rather cramped kitchen, and helped Mai make the tea, despite her protests. He let her carry it to Naru, and snorted quietly as she came out of Naru's office, and tripped on a nearby table leg, face palming the ground.

"Mai. Time for bed. In my office. Go."

Lin noticed the blush that crossed her face. "With you? Bed? Heh..." Mai went redder than a tomato. Carefully, he ran the sentence through his head. No. It sounded fine. But to a 17 year old girl? Ah...

"Where will you sleep, Lin – san?"

"On the couch. But I've got work to do. Come on, you're tired." Offering her his hand, Lin helped her up off the couch, and pulled her to his office, shutting the door behind him. Lin dropped Mai's hand, and turned back to his beloved laptop, continuing the familiar tap tapping that always calmed Mai down.

Mai turned toward his couch, and laid down, breathing in Lin's scent of peppermint tea, with an under layer of coffee. "Thank you, Lin – san." Mai murmured sleepily, nuzzling deeper into the couch that smelled so strongly of Lin that it was overwhelming.

All she heard in reply was the sound of a chair pushing back, and the weight of a blanket or jacket being laid on her.

What shocked her was the feeling of light breath on her forehead as a gentle, and soft weight pressed down delicately on it. She smiled, and succumbed to sweet dreams.

Or so she thought.

_**The dream**_

_Mai had been told to make tea for her narcissistic boss, and so she had set off, not knowing where she was going. They had taken a new case, and stupid Mai had forgotten to ask for directions. Just like every case._

_This case was a bit bizarre. The ghost of a boy with a broken neck and lacerations covering his face pushing people down the stairs. But no one knew why. Several investigators had been called in already, but no one could solve it. _

_So they'd been called in._

_Getting lost within the maze of her ponderings, Mai didn't notice the corridor getting colder, or the fact that there was a boy now before her. A boy with a broken neck and lacerations covering what must have been a once handsome face. _

_A ghostly laugh filled the air, and Mai was jerked from her thoughts._

"_Who are you?" The temperature just kept dropping, so much so, that Mai could see her breath in the air before her. _

"_No one you know. But don't worry, you will never find out."_

"_Why?" Mai took a step back, as the boy took a step toward her. _

"_You'll never know that either." Another laughed filled the air, and she shivered. The boy grinned in a grotesque way. _

"_Why?" Mai forced herself to remain calm, as she took another step back, and the boy another step forward. _

"_Never mind. Goodbye." _

_And with that, the boy lunged at her, and she flew down stairs she didn't even notice were behind her. Mai screamed, as she came into contact with the ground. _

_Except... there was no pain. Mai was floating in a black nothingness. _

"_Prepare to meet your fate." The boy hissed right in Mai's ear. He twisted her to the right, and Mai gasped in horror as she took in the sight before her:_

_Naru was chained to a wall, his face and hands stained red with blood. Mai could hear soft moans emitting from his still form, and, somehow, she knew, that he was about to breath his last._

_Lin was chained beside Naru, looking very thin. But... Mai could see that Lin was dead. Freshly dead. She could see that his eyes had been ripped out, and there was a massive chunk torn out of his leg, which was laying nearby._

_Monk and Ayako were tied, back to back, both bleeding and looking weak, but refusing to die just yet. _

_There was a headless figure by their feet, with the head no where to be seen. But Mai would recognise that figure any where, with or without a head._

_Masako. _

_Mai started to cry, refusing to believe that they were all dead, or very close to dying. "Make it stop, please, I'm begging you..."_

"_No. You shall suffer the way I suffered all those years ago. Their dead forms will haunt you forever!"_

"_Why are you doing this?" Mai whirled onto the ghost, anger and hurt in her eyes. "They didn't deserve this! Just leave us alone! I'm sorry it happened to you, really, I am! Just... go!"_

_She blinked, and he was gone. _

_Sobbing, she fell to the ground, feeling completely dead. "Naru... Lin...Masako...Ayako...Monk... I'm so sorry. I'm going to avenge your deaths, I promise!"_

_Another ghostly laugh filled the air, and hands gripped her neck tightly, with the intent to kill. Blackness clouded her vision, and she closed her eyes._

And then she woke up. Tears came to her eyes, and Mai leaned forward and started sobbing into her hands.

"Mai, tea."

Mai looked up, and smiled, wiping away her tears.

"Yeah, never mind the fact that I just saw you all die in the most horrific way. Sure, I'll make your tea. In fact, why don't I just go by myself, seeing as none of you care enough to actually hug me in comfort. Just forget the fact that I don't have parents, like most people. Sometimes, I wonder how these guys put up with you. Once I've made your tea, don't bother asking me again. I'll just pour it all over your precious paperwork. Seriously, Naru! Gods, I hate you! But, you know what? By you doing this, I'm getting stronger all the time, so thank you." The venom in her voice was so powerful, that all Naru could do was gape at her in a completely uncharacteristic way.

And with that, she stalked out of the room, slamming the door behind her. While she made the tea, she allowed herself to cry over what she'd just said. Never before had she lost control like that, and Naru was now sure to fire her. The nightmare had scared her, and she knew that it was a psychic dream.

As Mai was fuming, Ayako and Lin walked to the kitchen to see if she was alright.

"I wonder what she saw. She's never lost control like that..."

"I'm in half a mind to call Naru's parents about this. He's so insensitive towards her. We'll lose her, and it'll be his fault." All Ayako could do was nod in agreement.

As they rounded the corner to enter the kitchen, they saw Mai turn around with the tea in her hand. Her face was expressionless, and her eyes were puffy from the intensity of her crying.

"Mai, put the tea down, and come here."

They watched as Mai calmly put the tea down, and walked toward them, looking completely calm.

Lin and Ayako shared a glance. Definitely not good. Ayako nodded, and she walked another step toward Mai, stopping by her.

"Mai. Look at me. Are you okay?"

Mai weakly nodded, and Ayako and Lin shared another glance.

"Mai. What was your dream? Come on, we'll take the tea back, then listen to your dream."

"No. I can't go back. I'll be fired..."

"No. You won't. I won't let Naru do that. Come on, Mai."

Her shoulders drooped in defeat, and she grabbed the tea again, shuffling out of the room like a sulking kid.

Lin and Ayako walked behind her, in a companionable silence. When they got back, Mai wordlessly handed Naru his tea, and sat on the sofa.

"I had a dream. There was this boy with lacerations on his face, and a broken neck. He said that I'll never know who he was, then pushed me down the stairs. But I never landed. I was floating in a sort of black nothingness. Then the scene changed, and I saw Lin and Naru – chan chained to a wall, Lin was dead, and Naru was dying. Lin, your neck looked broken, and Naru, your face was stained with blood. Ayako and Monk were tied together, on the floor, with Masako's headless form by their feet. Ayako and Monk were covered in blood, and I couldn't see Masako's head anywhere. Then the ghost said something about me suffering the same fate he did... and... then I woke up. I don't remember much else, except I remember feeling that I couldn't move... I'm such a disappointment."

Lin put his hand on Mai's shoulder. "No, you're not. This is a great help. Thank you."

He smiled at Mai, and Naru raised an eyebrow. "Lin? Care to explain what this is about?"

"Yeah, sure, Naru. Mai was upset, so I comforted her. Speaking of which, you own her an apology. She had a real scare, from what I've heard, and then you just brush off like it was nothing, demanding for tea. Sometimes, Naru, you really disappoint me. If you don't buck your ideas up, I'm calling your parents."

Naru glared at Lin, then he looked at Mai. "Hn..." Naru bowed his head, and everyone knew it was the closest thing Mai would get to an apology.

"No problem. I probably over reacted as well, so I'm partially to blame. Sorry, Naru, I got caught in the heat of the moment." She smiled, and Naru stood up.

"Just don't do it again. Or you WILL be fired. The reason I didn't was because I need your tea. Everyone, go pack. Someone stay with Mai while she does. I don't care who."

With that, he stalked out of the room, slamming the door. But he came out a second later, grabbing his tea, and going back into his office.

Lin took control. "Ayako, Monk, stay together. I'll stay with Mai. We have 1 hour until we have to leave."

They nodded, and left the SPR premises to go pack their clothes. They'd been together for a few months now, and so lived together.

"Come on, Mai. I packed yesterday." Lin pulled Mai off of the couch, and they walked to her tiny bedroom. Since Mai practically lived in the SPR office, she'd sold her house and asked Naru's permission to live in one of their spare rooms. He'd said yes – surprisingly, and Mai had brought her belongings up – not that there were many of them.

Lin looked around her room. It only contained a couch, a desk, a laptop, a mini fridge, a kettle, and a microwave.

The walls were a navy blue, like Naru's eyes, and the carpet was a green, giving the room a sea like atmosphere. Soothing, but angry at the same time.

The laptop had two sticks plugged in, which Mai later explained as the black one for SPR related stuff, and the red one as school stuff.

The mini fridge, upon Lin's inspection, contained microwaveable meals and soft drinks cans. Coke, ginger beer, lemonade, cherry-ade, you name it. Mai's fridge had it all.

The couch had no blanket, or duvet, or even a pillow, just a bunched up jacket (Lin presumed this to be the pillow), and a big coat laid on the back. (Lin presumed this to be the makeshift blanket)

He discovered that Mai had her own En-suite bathroom, but it was small and only had a bath and toilet. Mai said she washed her hands in the bath, and used that as a sink and bath.

"Please, make yourself comfortable. Do you want something to eat or drink?"

Lin politely declined, and sat down on her couch, watching Mai as she fluttered around the room, throwing clothes and toiletries into a suitcase.

Half an hour later, when Mai had finished, she turned to the couch and saw Lin sleeping on her couch. Smiling slightly, she grabbed her camera, and snapped a quick photograph, giggling to herself.

"COME ON, WE'RE LEAVING, AND WE HAVEN'T GOT ALL DAY!"

Mai sighed, and bent down toward Lin. "Lin – san. Come on, we're now going. Naru's getting impatient again." She shook Lin gently, and couldn't wake him.

"Your attempts are futile. Lin's a deep sleeper." Mai turned to the door, and Naru was standing in the doorway. "He's a really deep sleeper, so you have to _force_ him to wake up." Mai blinked.

"Yeah, how, Naru?"

"Like this." Mai could do nothing but watch as Naru walked over, and poured water over Lin's shirt.

"Why not his hair?"

Naru smirked. "He hates his hair getting wet. And I mean _hates_."

Mai blinked, and started to laugh softly.

"He's right. Mai, thanks for trying to wake me up. Naru, thanks for not getting my hair wet. I hate that. My hair's really thick, so it takes forever to dry. Plus, it sticks to my face, and I can't stand things in my eyes."

Mai nodded, and got up. "Lead the way, Naru."

"Mai, tea. Lin, equipment. Masako, help Lin. Monk, go with Mai. Ayako... stay out of the way."

As the team went about their tasks, Mai kept thinking about Lin, and the mysterious aura that man carries about him.

When Mai had made Naru's tea, she pulled out five coke cans from her fridge, made sure she had everything she needed, and got into the van, in between Lin – the one who was driving – and Naru.

"Monk." She threw him a can, not looking because she was in the front, and Monk and Ayako in the back. She threw it backwards.

"Ayako." She threw her a can. Lin brought the car to life.

Mai cracked open a can, and put one in the drink holder for Lin, who nodded appreciatively.

"Naru, do you want yours?" Naru didn't look up from his paperwork – somehow, he could write like normal while in a bumpy van ride – but a small smile crossed his face. Mai knew this was a 'yes', so she cracked it open and handed it to him.

Well, she didn't hand it to him, she put it in a cup holder just in front of him.

"How long is the journey?"

Monk spoke from behind her. "The Big Boss said about 6 hours driving, then a 13 hour flight."

"Flight? But I didn't bring my passport!"

"No, but Lin did. Yesterday, he filed for your passport, presenting the airport with a photo, and they put a passport together for you. Ooh, Mai. You've got an admirer." Ayako spoke up from behind as well.

"Thanks, Lin. You didn't have to do that. But... a 19 hour journey? Why take a case that's so far away?"

"Because. You've had a dream about it, which means that you'll be involved somehow. Apart from that, it's really interesting. The owners of the house have called in several experts, and no one has solved it. Which is why I want to do it."

Mai nodded, groaning slightly at the prospect of sitting still for 19 hours – well, apart from moving from van to plane.

Mai couldn't get the figures of her dying friends out of her head. Masako's headless figure...

Naru and Lin chained to the wall, and Ayako and Monk dying slowly...

Why hadn't she met the ground when she fell?

What had that boy meant by her never knowing who he was?

What had she done to suffer the boy's fate?

It then occurred to Mai that she hadn't eaten anything for just over 12 hours. She'd been too caught up in meeting Naru's demands, and making sure that everyone was happy.

Mai sunk into another dream.

_**Mai's dream**_

_There was nothing, just a black nothingness. Mai couldn't see anything, and she couldn't move anything, but her eyes. The same ghostly laugh from before filled the air._

"_You saw what happened to your friends. Are you afraid?Never mind, you won't be alive for much longer..."_

"_Who are you? Please, just leave my friends be. If you want me, just attack me!" A sickening sound of bones crunching filled the air, and a blood curdling scream filled the air. Mai couldn't move, couldn't cover her ears. Her throat hurt. Then she got it. It was her who was screaming. Mai... he'd hurt her, made her bones crush with just a single look._

"_Oh, I will..."_

"_Stop... please..."_

"_No." Another sickening sound of bones crunching filled the air, and Mai screamed again, almost drowning out the laugh of the ghost._

"_Why... are... you... doing... this?"_

"_Because... I'm avenging my death. YOU killed me."_

"_What... are... you... t-talking... about?"_

"_Oh, all you will never know. It ends HERE!"_

_Several more cracks filled the air, and Mai screamed until her throat was raw, and pain consumed her, changing her..._

Mai sat bolt right up, screaming.

"-Ai. Mai. Are you okay?" Mai stopped screaming when a hand clamped down tight over her mouth. The van had stopped, and Mai could see Naru and Lin looking at her worriedly, and Ayako and Monk leaning over from behind them.

"Mai?" Mai started sobbing, and threw herself at Lin, who grunted at the force of a seventeen year old girl practically glomping him. He shushed her soothingly, rubbing her back with the hand he'd just removed from over her mouth, as she had stopped screaming.

"Sssh... You're fine. Talk about it when you're ready. Ssh... Monk, Ayako, she's fine. I think it was a dream. Naru, keep driving. We're nearly at the airport Mai, just another hour or two. Sssh..."

Over her head, Lin connected eyes with Mai, using mind telepathy.

**Naru. What do you think it was about?**

_The case. It must've been. Keep her calm at all costs._

**Easier said that done.**

_Hn. Ask her what her dream was when she calms down. Or, should I say, IF she calms down. _

**She seems to be more calmer now.**

_That's probably because she's clinging to your arm. _

**Not that I care.**

_Hn. Focus, Lin._

Lin looked down at the sobbing girl, who was indeed clinging to his arm. "Mai. Are you ready?"

She nodded, but didn't pull away.

"I was in a black nothingness, like before. And it was the same ghost as before too. I couldn't move anything but my eyes. Paralysed. The ghost kept saying I wouldn't be alive much longer, and when I asked him why he was doing this, he said that I... k-killed him, and he was avenging his own d-death... cracks filled the air, and I screamed. But the scream sounded inhumane, like it wasn't me screaming. This ghost is dangerous, Naru. I've got a bad feeling about this... he can shatter your bones with a mere look. He shattered every bone in my body... with a look. That's all I remember."

Mai had been mumbling into Lin's chest, but she was still clearly heard by all in the van.

Lin and Naru connected eyes briefly.

"Do you know what this could mean, Lin?"

"Hmm... it's possible that he's mistaking Mai for someone else, or he's too angry, and so just chooses someone at random. Anything is possible."

Lin nodded, and Naru looked at Lin, then at Mai, and back again.

"Lin, when we get there, you will be Mai's personal 'bodyguard', if you will. You will stay together. This means that she stays with you in the base, watching the monitors while you research, and she sleeps in a room that's linked to or is very close to yours. Ayako, Monk, since you two are engaged, you can have a room to yourselves. When John and Masako come, they can be in the same room as you two. On _no_ conditions are you to go ANYWHERE alone. From what Mai has said, this is more dangerous than ever before. And Mai, before you say anything, I'll be sleeping in the base, but just around the corner from you lot. I'll be able to hear anything."

Monk and Ayako blushed.

Mai was still seeking comfort in Lin's arms. She hadn't moved since she'd recalled her dream, and the tears had stopped. Lin's shirt wasn't wet any more, because Mai's heat had warmed it up.

_Move her to a more comfortable position, Lin. _

**Care to elaborate?**

_My father used to lay my mother's head in his lap while she was sleeping, and lay his jacket over her. Mai seems to have taken a liking to you, so maybe she'd be more comfortable. My father also used to stroke Mum's hair while she was sleeping. He did this whenever she had nightmares, which was a lot. She said it used to help her not have nightmares. It might not work, but try it._

**Wow, Naru. You really do care. **

_Of course. Just because it doesn't show on the outside, doesn't mean I'm not thinking it. Tell me, Lin. Where do you stand with Mai?_

**I don't know. But I do know that I care for her. And I want to end her suffering. **

_Sounds like Lin's in love._

**More than you'll ever feel.**

Naru didn't reply, so Lin knew he'd won. Once he'd moved Mai into a more comfortable position: Head in his lap, jacket over her, stroking her hair, he continued reading.

While Mai had been having her nightmare, Lin and Naru had swapped, so that Naru was now driving.

"I'll always be here, Mai. Even if you decide to quit SPR, not that you ever will, I'll stand by you. It's the least I can do. I know I sound out of character right now, but that's because I feel like never before. We need you, Mai. You're the glue that holds us all together. And the reason that Naru occasionally smiles. I'm so sorry for making you think I hated you. But that was only because I was trying to hide what I felt. I should be saying this to your face, not as you lay sleeping..."

Lin trailed off as he looked down at Mai's sleeping form.

"If you love her like you HAVEN'T said you do, then just talk to her." Ayako leaned over the seat, and ruffled Lin's hair.

Monk appeared beside Ayako. "Yeah. Mai's more understanding than you think. She sees a lot more than she lets on."

"I'm driving, and you're distracting me. Sit down and shut up. There's only 30 minutes left before we reach the airport. Wake her up."

"Ayako?"

"Yeah?"

"You share a room with Mai on cases, how do you wake her up?"

"Oh... um... I normally just gently shake her awake, but don't lean right over her, because she has a tendency of sitting up bolt right. Last time I woke her up, she almost broke my nose. That's why it has to be done gently."

Lin nodded, and Naru pulled over. "Monk, Ayako, assist me in unloading the van. Lin... you know what to do."

Monk, Ayako and Naru got out, leaving Lin in the van with Mai.

Lin carefully peeled the jacket off of Mai, and shook her gently. "Mai. Mai..." He dragged her name out, like you would will playing hide and seek.

"LIN, HURRY UP AND WAKE HER ALREADY!" Naru yelled this from the open boot, where he was still unloading the van. Ayako was checking her nails, and Monk was inspecting a camera he just dropped. Eventually, Lin got annoyed at Mai, and just opened his door and picked her up bridal style, sidling out of the car.

"She wouldn't wake up." When Naru moved to wake her, Lin stopped him. "Noll, she hasn't slept properly for 2 days because she's been researching, making your tea, and having nightmares. Let her sleep. She'd let you sleep if you'd pushed yourself too far."

Naru did nothing but shot Lin a blank look, and Lin sighed, kicking the door closed with his foot.

"Come on, let's get boarded onto the plane. We've got 30 minutes."

The plane had just taken off, and everything had gone smoothly. Lin had briefly woken Mai up so that she could go through security to be checked, and to board the plane, but then she'd gone to sleep as soon as she'd sat down.

She didn't dream of anything, just a familiar black nothingness. No voices. No ghosts. Just black stuff. And, for the first time, she didn't care.

Mai was sitting in-between Lin and Naru, who were behind Ayako and Monk.

Lin had put Mai in the same position as before, and Naru was just reading. He could hear Ayako and Monk talking quietly about wedding plans, and he could hear Naru's sorrowful music playing from where he sat.

A hostess came and came each of the SPR party a pillow and blanket, though Naru declined his. When everyone had ordered their food, Lin shook Mai awake. It took him all of 5 minutes. But he had Monk and Ayako's help.

"Nng.. Nnng... whazzamatter? Does Naru want some... nng... tea?" Mai rubbed her eyes, but didn't otherwise move. "No, Naru doesn't want tea. I woke you because lunch is now coming. We're on the plane, Mai."

Mai looked groggily around, emitting unintelligible grunts and groans as she did. But she still didn't sit up.

"Oh... thanks, guys. Lin... how did I get from the van to the plane? Where's the plane?"

Lin sighed, shaking his head with a small smile on his face. "I carried you from the van to the airport, then briefly woke you up to go through security, but you looked like a zombie, and then you fell asleep again as soon as you sat down."

"Oh. Well, um, thanks, Lin – san."

Lin frowned. "Call me Lin – kun." Naru's head shot up, and Ayako and Monk started giggling madly.

"Ooh... one step closer, Mai." Mai still hadn't sat up, and Lin was still stroking her hair.

"Shut up, guys."

"Are you sure, Lin?" Naru was still looking at Lin.

"Yes. I mean, I've known Mai for something like a year now, so, why not?"

Monk and Ayako were still giggling. Naru raised an eyebrow, but otherwise turned back to his book.

The same air hostess from before returned with a trolley full of food.

"Lasagne for Mr... Naru?"

Said person nodded, and the hostess handed him a steaming tray with lasagne and chocolate fudge cake ice-cream on it, accompanied by a thermal flask of tea. "Arigato." The hostess nodded, blushing slightly.

"Sloppy joe for Mrs... Ayako?" Said person nodded, and the hostess handed her a steaming tray of sloppy joe and wholemeal bread, with strawberry shortcake for dessert.

"Tuna salad for Mr... Monk? Hmm..." Monk nodded, and the hostess handed him a bowl of tuna salad, smiling at him in a flirty manner. Monk ignored this, of course.

"And we've got two more orders. One for chicken and stuffing sandwiches with chocolate cake, and one for chicken soaked in orange juice and stuffing, and vanilla and coffee cake for dessert."

Lin nodded. "The orange chicken and coffee cake is for Mai. The other is mine." Looking up, Mai blinked. "How do you know my favourite foods?"

"I overheard you talking to Monk about food the other week, and I remembered it." Mai smiled, and Lin's heart nearly stopped.

"Thank you. Just put them on the fold-able table in front of me." The hostess nodded, and did as bid. Then, she walked back down the aisle, leaving the tray there for when they had finished their meal.

"Mai?"

"Yeah?"

"Would you mind giving Lin his lap back?" Mai scowled at Naru, who was staring at his fork.

"Oh, um, yeah. Sorry, Lin – kun." Mai went to sit up, but Lin halted her. His hands hadn't yet left her hair.

"Naru, she's fine. I don't mind."

"I bet you don't." Was heard from in front of them, followed by more giggling. Mai rolled her eyes at their immaturity.

"Are you sure, Lin – kun?" Lin looked at Mai, trying – and failing – to not get lost in her eyes. Lin had to shake himself before he could answer her.

"Yes. If I minded, I've have told you to get off. Lay back down, and stop listening to Naru."

Mai giggled, and laid back down, enjoying the feeling of Lin's fingers running through her hair.

"Naru?"

"Hm?" He didn't raise his head to look at her. Which left Mai to stare at Lin's sharp angular jawline and chin.

"Why did you take a case that was halfway across the country? I mean, I love the travelling and all, and I'm really comfy where I am, I was just curious. What do my dreams mean? They scare me... I'm afraid to sleep..." Naru still didn't raise his head.

"I took it because you'd already dreamed about it. Which meant that we'd need to take it. And I really, _really_ didn't need to know that you were comfy. But thanks for the mental images. It's not as if I weren't already scarred..." Monk started giggling like a little girl, and Mai could see Ayako raise her hand above her head to hit him. He didn't say 'ow'. Mai didn't think he even reacted. When food was around, he never did.

"Mai, you shouldn't be afraid to sleep. You heard Naru. I can't leave you alone on this case. While you're dreaming, stay calm, and try to analyse the dream as it happens. Because then, you might not be as scared as you would be normally. Fear is only in the mind, and if you allow it to take over, it eventually becomes you. So, if you preoccupy your brain by analysis as you sleep, you won't be as scared. Try it. If that doesn't work, then drink hot tea before bed."

Lin leaned down and planted a soft kiss on Mai's forehead. Mai closed her eyes at the contact.

"Mai?"

"Yes, Naru?"

"Did you intend to let Lin eat? Or, less importantly, did you intend to actually eat your own meal?"

Mai frowned at the 'less importantly' bit, but otherwise said nothing.

"Oh... sorry, Naru, Lin – kun."

Lin smiled, and Naru just turned back to his book. Sitting up, Mai handed Lin his chicken and stuffing sandwiches with chocolate cake, and then smirked at him when their fingers brushed.

Then, Mai pulled her meal toward her, and tentatively took a bite.

When she'd finished her meal, and Lin had finished his, Monk pulled the trolley toward him and loaded it with his and Ayako's plates. Mai pulled it toward her, and loaded it with Naru's, Lin's, and her plates.

Then she dinged a bell, causing the hostess from before to come and take away the trolley.

"Thank you for ordering our meals. Do you require anything else?"

Lin nodded. "Can you show me the way to the luggage room? I want to get my laptop."

The hostess nodded, and stepped backwards so that Mai could get out, which would, in turn, get Lin out.

Once Lin had got out, Mai got back into her seat, and the hostess, who had just upped her flirting techniques, placed her hand on the small of his back, and led him to the luggage room. Unbeknownst to her, Naru had been watching, and didn't miss the jealousy and anger flickering across Mai's face. He subtly kicked the back of Monk's chair, who leaned over, and then followed Naru's gaze. Monk nodded, and sat back down, pulling his phone out.

Mai frowned, and then jumped as her phone vibrated against her pocket. Pulling it out, she flipped it open.

She'd got a text.

**Don't worry, Mai. I know what you're thinking. Lin won't let the hostess try anything. He's above that. That hostess was flirting with me (I mean, look at me), Naru, AND Lin, so don't worry.**

Mai smiled, and sent one back.

_Thanks, Monk. If she does, I'll kill her._

**No you won't.**

_Wanna bet?_

**Shut up and get out of your seat. Lin's coming.**

* _Blushes *_

When Lin had settled back into his seat, resting his laptop on the fold-able table, Mai leaned on his shoulder, closing her eyes.

Lin leaned over to Naru, and whispered something in his ear. Naru nodded, and held out his flask.

"Mai. Tea."

Mai started grumbling. "I knew it was too good to be true." She reached over and grabbed his flask from his hand, then stood up and followed the aisle to the kitchen at the back.

Lin got up and followed her. "Mai, could I talk to you for a second? It won't take long, and you can make Naru's tea while I talk."

Mai nodded, and boiled the kettle, adding the teabag and sugar as she went. Lin walked over to the door, and shut it, leaning against it.

"So what did you want to talk about?"

"In the beginning. Do you remember how we met?"

Mai nodded. His tone was slow and deliberate. "Yeah. You pulled me out of the way of a falling bookcase, causing me to break an expensive camera and you to sprain your ankle."

Lin nodded. "And I acted cold toward you. Look, I'm sorry if you thought I hated you. To begin with, I did. But, gradually, that all changed." Mai blushed, pouring water into Naru's cup.

"Do you want one, Lin – kun?"

"No thanks." Mai nodded, and added the milk to Naru's tea.

"Over the last few months, I've felt safe when you're near, but then empty when you're not. At first, I couldn't figure it out. So I spoke to Madoka. And a few weeks after that... I knew."

"Knew what?"

Lin took a step toward Mai, mentally putting his shiki out to guard the door.

"That I fell in love with you."

Mai's jaw dropped, and she flushed in happiness. "Really?"

Lin did nothing but nod, and pulled out a plastic rose, holding it out to her.

Mai took it, but then Lin took it back, tucking it behind her ear.

"Why is it plastic?" Lin, for the first time ever, looked sheepish.

"Because it's a token of my undying love for you. Mai, will you allow me to date you?"

A slow smile spread across Mai's face, and she put Naru's tea down. "YES!"

And the next thing Lin knew, he was being glomped.


	2. Crazy hours  Day 1 and 2

**Disclaimer: Second chapter in the multi chapter fic. Thanks to my wonderful friend Kakashi Aisuryu, who helped me create some of the plot. She's amazing :)**

**I'll try to update at least once every three days, but do bear in mind that I spend a lot of time perfecting these. The first chapter took me 5 days to write :)**

**Enjoy, and please review! - Warning: some gory scenes – apologies in advance if timing is wonky.**

**Probable OOCness, but not too much. I wouldn't want to kill this amazing anime.**

**A/N: Lin gives her something else in the plane kitchen, but I forgot to put it in. So, I'll put in a flashback. **

**I'm speeding the story along a bit, but not too much.**

**And on with the story!**

_**Flashback**_

_When Lin and Mai broke apart, blushes evident on both their faces, Lin pulled something else out from an inside pocket._

"_Listen, Mai. Sometimes, I'm not going to be there to look out for you. Which is why I'm giving you this necklace. It's a butterfly, to signify the fact that you're spreading your wings and becoming your own person. Not only that, but I've put a shiki in this necklace, so that if you're ever in danger, or about to run into it, I'll be alerted. I've lost many people, and I don't want to lose you too."_

_The butterfly wasn't big, but it was gold and silver, with little amethyst diamonds in the middle, non – symmetrical._

_Mai gasped, tears coming to her eyes. "Wow. Lin – kun, thank you so much. I'm never taking this off. Help me put it on?" Lin nodded, a small smile on his face, and Mai turned around._

_Lin unclipped the necklace, and reached forward to put it around Mai's neck, fumbling for a moment to clip it back up again. Then he tucked her hair out of her collar, and wrapped his arms around her in a hug._

"_Come on, I can sense Naru getting impatient." Mai cracked a smile, and grabbed Naru's tea, before walking through the door and down the aisle. _

_Some time later, they had landed, and retrieved their van (John and Masako had driven it over to them, as they hadn't gone across seas) and luggage, then gotten into the beloved van (Again, Mai in the front with Lin and Naru, much to Masako's dislike)._

_SPR had arrived at the case, and set everything up._

_**END of flashback**_

24 hours after settling in and setting up *

Mai walked to Lin's office, knocking gently.

"Come in." Upon gaining permission, Mai opened the door, and stepped into the office.

"Do you want tea, Lin – kun?"

Lin nodded, and held his cup out, purposefully making sure that his fingers brushed Mai's. Lin did this because he loved the feeling of electricity running up his arm whenever he touched Mai.

It was about 6pm, and Lin and Mai had been watching the monitors for Naru. They hadn't spoken, just sat in companion silence. Monk and Ayako were sitting on the couch in base with John and Masako, talking and giggling about something or other.

Once she'd done the tea,and given it to Lin, she sat beside Naru, doing paperwork, and put a steaming cup of tea by his hand.

"Naru?"

"Yeah?"

"I've done everything you want me to do, so can I be excused for a bit?"

"Yes. But do it quickly. And for gods sake, DON'T get lost. You may have a shiki with you, but you attract danger like a magnet."

Lin nodded, smirking. "See you in a minute Mai. Oh, I forgot to tell you something. If you feel like you're in danger, the necklace will start pulsing. When it does that, and only then, say my name ONCE, and I'll be there within 2 minutes. Don't ask me HOW it works, it just does. Go on, go."

Mai nodded, and wandered the corridor until she found the kitchen. For some reason, she didn't feel alone, and yet, the shiki necklace wasn't pulsing. Maybe she was imagining it.

When Mai reached the kitchen, she needed to go to the bathroom, so she took a detour and went into the bathroom.

Because of her terrible sense of direction, Naru had asked the owner of the house to put signs up everywhere, so that Mai knew where everything was. By this, he meant to buy big neon signs and decorate them with arrows and names of rooms, outside every room, corridor, staircase, etc.

She had sulked at first, but then she'd realised that he was actually trying to help her. Maybe Naru wasn't as heartless as he made you think.

When Mai thought that, she snorted quietly.

Upon reaching the bathroom, Mai felt a very uncomfortable feeling overcome her. Her face was suddenly very itchy. Thinking back over the past 24 hours – which is how long an allergic reaction can take to set in – Mai couldn't think of any time when she'd put stuff on her face. So it wasn't that. Mai's necklace wasn't pulsing. So she couldn't have been in danger... and yet... she didn't feel alone. Mai locked the door, sitting on the toilet seat. She started to scratch her face.

Aah... it felt good.

_That's it. Keep going. _

Mai sat up straight. She definitely didn't imagine that voice.

_Yes you did._

Okay, once is your imagination, but twice? Mai scratched her face again.

_Hehehehehe. _**(Imagine an evil laugh here)**

Mai shuddered, and scratched her face. The lights went out. Then they flickered on. On and off. On and off. On and off. Mai had had enough. Reaching up to scratch her face again, Mai summoned up the courage to speak.

"Hello? Are you there?"

Nothing. She hadn't expected there to be.

Then, another strange feeling came over her, and she started to claw her face with nails that were suddenly long and hooked.

Laughing manically, Mai liked the feeling, and clawed herself again.

And again.

Thrice she clawed her face, and pulled her nails away, licking the blood and then clawing herself again.

Swirling her tongue around her mouth, she relished the taste of salt and rust.

Mai clawed her face, and then screamed a scream so horrible she thought she'd puke from the pain. But she enjoyed it too. Mai clawed her face again, but, instead of licking her hand clean, she dragged it down the white tile wall, sinking down as she did so.

_That's not good enough... here, let me..._

Mai brought her knees up to her chest, and wrapped her arms around her figure, resting her head on her arms. The feeling had left her, and she started to sob.

"Who are you?" Mai screamed as something invisible clawed her face, much like the way she had. Her shiki started pulsing, but it hurt. Lin had not said it would hurt. Mai screamed again as something banged on the door.

_I'm nobody._

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Mai continued sobbing as something pounded on the door.

The thing continued pounding on the door, calling her name. Mai sobbed harder, and screamed at the pain of her self inflicted cuts. She'd been possessed, she knew it. The thing pounded at the door, and Mai knew the door was getting weaker. But still the thing called her name.

"Mai! Open the door, NOW!"

"NO!" Without looking, Mai knew that she looked horrible. Retching, Mai spat out the taste of blood from her mouth. Her shiki was now pulsing, so she called out Lin's name.

Silence.

Silence.

Silence. Mai rested her head on her arms, hunching up small.

The ever deafening silence...

...Then...

The lock clicked, and the door handle twisted, effectively opening the door.. But still she didn't look up. Footsteps ran to her, asked her to look up, what had happened. She answered, but never once looked up.

She told them that she'd been possessed, but that nothing was wrong.

"Liar." Naru's cold tone cut through her like a knife. "There's something wrong, or you would have looked up. There's also blood on the wall, and under your nails. This all indicates that the ghost who possessed you hurt you somehow. Now look UP!"

"No. I look horrible." Mai continued sobbing, and she found herself in a pair of strong arms.

"Ssh, Mai. Look up, otherwise we can't help you." Lin's calming tone did nothing for her, and she cried harder still. Mai didn't move a muscle, and Monk sighed from the doorway. The sigh wasn't impatient, or frustrated, but rather sympathetic. Mai smiled a little, but it died just as quickly as it had been born.

"Come on, Mai. Show Uncle Monk what that meanie of a ghost did."

Mai sighed. "Don't freak out, okay?"

She was met with silence, and Mai steeled herself. Taking a deep breath, Mai slowly looked up.

The person who was holding her backed away, and then they inhaled sharply at her face.

Ayako had her mouth covered with a hand, eyes wide. "Omigod, Mai..." Ayako breathed, unable to say more. Monk had his arm around Ayako, sadness in his eyes. "I'm so sorry, Mai."

Mai shook her head, putting on a fake smile. "No worries..." her smile was short lived, however, because she started crying again. Lin caught her in his embrace again, rubbing her back soothingly.

John and Masako weren't there, so they were evidently still in base.

Naru's face was expressionless, but, if you looked closely, you could see he was all tensed up.

"Lin, get her back to base and tell Masako to see if she can sense any spirits anywhere. While you're there, tell John to come and exorcise the room. Ayako, Monk, clean this room up. Lin, sort Mai out. Mai, tea."

Ayako and Monk disappeared from the doorway, and their hurrying footsteps faded into the distance. Naru pulled out his mobile, and took a picture of Mai and the room, then put it back in his pocket. Lin helped Mai up, and together they walked back to base. Mai's tears had slowed down, but not entirely stopped.

When they'd got to base, Lin pulled out a first aid kit and got out some antiseptic wipes, scissors, and healing balm.

"Mai, what happened?" He ripped open a packet of antiseptic wipes, pulled one out and started wiping Mai's face, causing her to wince. "Sorry." Lin murmured, truly looking sorry.

Mai took a deep breath, and started telling the story, not leaving anything out. She didn't cry, but she did sniffle a few times. Lin finished wiping the blood off of her face, and then put some healing balm on the cuts, ignoring the feelings coursing through his veins.

When he'd done, Lin then took a pair of scissors and cut all of Mai's nails – save her toenails.

"Thank you, Lin – kun. I'm sorry for going by myself. I know I should've waited for one of you to come, but since Naru didn't mention it..."

Lin nodded. "Even if Naru doesn't say it, always take someone with you. You don't – yet – have any physical abilities, so you are the most vulnerable."

Leaning over, Lin tidied up the counter area and disposed of the antiseptic wipes. "Lin, what do my dreams mean? I don't actually want to sleep tonight..."

"We don't know yet, but if you have another one, tell someone AS SOON AS you wake up. Regardless of the time. They could be prophecies of the future, or warnings, or visions of the past. I'm logging each one, looking for a pattern. Tell us everything, such as emotions, things before you, thoughts, and more importantly, what happens. Okay?"

Mai nodded.

Lin kissed Mai on the forehead, and she smiled. "What if I have a nightmare, and can't sleep? I can't wake Ayako or Monk, because they say I'm over reacting, and Masako doesn't like me, so I can't ask her, and John never wakes up. Naru would glare, so I normally just sit there and stew in fear." She was hinting, and she knew it. Lin knew it too, but he decided to act like he didn't know what she was hinting at... after a few seconds, he opened his mouth to speak.

"Easy. You take your duvet to my room. The good thing is that your room, and my room are linked by a door. All you have to do is get out of bed, turn right from the bottom of the bed, and walk forward. I'm always here, Mai."

Mai smiled, and hopped off of the counter, and she walked into the room with all the monitors, where the rest were, save John and Masako. This left Lin staring at the empty space that Mai had occupied for the last half hour.

Shaking himself slightly, Lin lightly disinfected the work area, and inhaled the remnants of Mai that he could still smell after a few minutes. Knowing she'd be in the kitchen, Lin wondered over to his laptop and started typing up everything that had happened in the past 24 hours.

Day 1, and Mai had already been attacked.

By herself. Her possessed herself.

Wow, this ghost worked fast. Lin could hardly wait to see what tomorrow would bring. Saving the document, and minimising it, Lin hacked into the landlord's personal information, and printed out the pages containing all the residents that had lived in the house, and how they had died. He opened up MSN again, and saw that Mai was online. So she must have done Naru's tea. He clicked on her name, and typed her a quick message.

(A/N:

**Names on MSN: LaptopObsessor **_Lin_

**TeaIsMyLifeline **_Naru_

**UncleMonk **_Monk_

**FailedPriestess**_ Ayako _

**NaruLover **_Masako_

**TheExorciser **_John_

**BeautifulFaerie** _Mai_)

**LaptopObsessor says:** Hey, Mai.

**BeautifulFaerie says: **Oh, hi, Lin – kun! What are you working on now?

**LaptopObsessor says:** Just everything that's happened over the last 24 hours. Or rather, everything Naru doesn't want to do.

**BeautifulFaerie says:** That tea – loving narcissistic jerk! Do you want help?

**LaptopObsessor says:** If you want to help, then come help. What are you doing?

**BeautifulFaerie says: **Failing maths. Nothing new. Yeah, hang on, I'll move my laptop into your office. If that's alright...

**LaptopObsessor says: **Yeah, that's fine. Actually, I'll ask Naru if I can help you in maths.

**BeautifulFaerie says: **Lin – kun, are you serious? I mean, Naru can be pretty harsh when he wants to be, and I don't want to get you into trouble or anything...

**LaptopObsessor says: **Yeah, I'm serious. When am I not? Don't answer that.

_TeaIsMyLifeline has just entered the chatroom._

**BeautifulFaerie says: **Naru – chan, I need help on my maths homework, and I'm failing. Miserably. Lin – kun just offered to help me. Is that alright with you? I'll help him do whatever he needs to do, first... please?

**TeaIsMyLifeline says: **Hn. Lin, what've you done so far?

**LaptopObsessor says: **I've printed off family records, and finished typing up that report you wanted done for today. In other words, everything. Mai needs help, so I'm now going to 'tutor' her in maths. Bye, Naru.

_LaptopObsessor has left the chatroom_

**BeautifulFaerie says: Bye, Naru – chan. **

_BeautifulFaerie has left the chatroom._

_TeaIsMyLifeline has left the chatroom._

Sighing, Lin waited for Mai to walk into the room. A presence appeared in his mind. Naru.

_So, what are you helping her with again?_

**Maths. **

_And that's it?_

**Yes.**

_Hn. Okay then. Just remember that I'm literally sitting beside you._

**No, actually, you're sitting behind me.**

_Yeah, but you need the table, so it'll be opposite me. _

**Ugh, I'm bored of this, anyway, Mai's here now. Behave.**

_Likewise._

Mai walked into the room, and looked at the monitors. "Lin, Naru!"

Lin and Naru whipped their heads around. There was a fog cloud on one of the monitors. Actually, it was in Mai's room. "Mai, go see how cold it is. Don't worry about going alone, there are camera all along the route! Go!"

"Er, right." She set off at a sprint, and Lin and Naru watched as she bumped into several walls turning the corners. At one time, she fell over, but then got straight back up and carried on running. Naru smirked, but Lin didn't do anything. He was too busy watching the monitors. Lin watched Mai run into the room, and take the temperature of it. At her reaction, it was really cold, because she started to shiver. Lin turned the microphone on.

"Mai, come back now. What's the reading?"

"Er... how to say it. It's room temperature, and yet, I was shivering like mad. Weird." Naru and Lin shared a glance.

"Mai. Come back. Now." It was not a suggestion, but an order. Lin was still watching the screen. Then he saw it. The cloud was moving towards Mai. "MAI! RUN!"

Mai looked at the cloud, screamed (this hurt Lin's ears) and set off at a sprint back toward the main room that they called base. When she got there, the cloud was still following her, so she lunged for the door, and slammed it shut. Naru got up and locked it.

"What... was that?" Lin asked of Naru.

"Obviously a spirit that wants Mai. But why?" Turning back to his computer, Lin picked up the pages of the family records, scanning them quickly.

"There's nothing here about people dying in that room. Is it site bound?"

Naru shrugged. Lin couldn't keep his eyes off of Mai's face. There were tears in her eyes. "Mai?"

Mai looked at Lin, and the tears spilled over, and she ran from the room, sobbing. Naru looked at Lin. "I think she's worried about her face scarring. She's worried about us hating her for it. That's the only explanation I can offer. Monk."

"Yeah?"

"Go after Mai, find out what's wrong. Get the whole thing out of her." Monk nodded, and ran from the room. Lin watched him go to Mai's room, and felt a twinge of jealousy. The fog had now gone from her room, but Lin didn't have time to worry about it. He was worried about Mai.

He couldn't get Mai's face out of his mind.

The scratches went from just under her left eye, and stopped at the corner of her mouth. It looked raw, but it had stopped bleeding. Surrounded by a purplish bruise, the scratches (three of them) looked like something from a horror movie.

Lin had put healing balm on the scratches, and added an ancient non – scarring spell to it as he was adding it. Which meant that Mai's fear was silly. But... he couldn't blame her. Mai had always been insecure, and this made it even worse. Mai had never been stunningly beautiful, but she had always been pretty.

But Lin didn't care for looks. Unlike so many other guys, he saw past the face and looked into the personality. Naru sat down and did more paperwork, while Lin watched the monitor showing Mai's room. He watched as Monk hugged Mai, and spoke to her, but all he got in return were nods and shakes of the head.

Monk wandered back into the room, shaking his head. "All I got was: 'Lin and Naru hate me now. I'm sure of it. After this, Naru will fire me. All because I went somewhere alone. The shiki didn't work, and, when it did, it hurt. He'll never love me. Not now,' Then she started crying, and I can't get her to stop. Gods, Lin. I normally always cheer her up. But this time, nothing."

Naru and Lin shared a glance. They connected minds.

_That always works. Poor Mai. She didn't deserve this._

Lin agreed with Naru. Monk just had this thing with Mai, where all he had to do is say something, and she'd smile. No matter what, that always worked. Mai must be really hurt this time.

_Why did the shiki hurt her?_

Lin thought about this, and when he came up with nothing, he asked a shiki.

_**It'd only hurt her if the ghost possessing her knew Mai before they died. Go to her. The shiki within the necklace is calling.**_

Standing up, he left the room, jogging to Mai's room.

**I'm going to comfort her. If I have to, I'll make her sleep. **

He felt Naru nod, and the connection dissolved. Knocking on Mai's door, he didn't hear an answer, but entered anyway. Upon entrance, Lin saw Mai curled up on the couch in the room where she slept, face hidden, and her form was shaking at the shoulders. She was still crying. Again, Lin was out of his league. A twinge of regret hit him.

There was his girlfriend crying over something in which she had no control, and there was him, talking to Naru through his mind.

Wordlessly and soundlessly, Lin walked across the room, and sat next to Mai on the bed. He didn't know what to do. Comfort her, yeah. But how? What did Monk normally do to calm her? Take the piss out of Naru... wind Ayako up... give her a bone crushing hug... ruffle her hair... nuh – uh. None of that was Lin.

So what was?

Gently, Lin rolled Mai over, so she was facing the ceiling, and studied her features. The scratches were already starting to heal, and where it had disappeared completely, there were no scars. Which meant that her fears were irrational... no. No, they weren't. Any girl would worry over her face, especially when you claw it so much that it bleeds.

Mai wasn't sleeping, she was watching Lin intently, a small smile showing on her features. "Hey."

"Hi. You okay?"

Mai nodded. "Yeah. But I need help on my maths. I just got an email from my teacher, saying that I'm failing maths, and if I don't improve, she'll flunk me." She sat up, and moved toward the end of the bed, rummaging in her bag for her maths homework, handing it to Lin to inspect. Scanning it, he saw that she had about 3 out of 20 questions right. The questions were on algebra.

"I can see why, I mean, I've probably only got 2 or 3 right, but with all the cases, and Naru wanting his tea, I never get time to study. I don't want to have to flunk maths, but, at the same time, I don't want to have to leave a case just to study. Maybe if I weren't so _stupid_, maybe I wouldn't be in this dilemma. No, actually, I would be. Being _stupid_ is in my nature."

"How far are you behind in your maths?"

Mai looked down at her homework sheet, and held it up. "I'm not that far behind, but I hate not understanding something. Anyway, have you found anything new yet?"

Lin shook his head, and they launched into a conversation that lasted for 3 hours and 24 minutes. When Lin next looked at the clock, it was 2am.

"Mai. It's 2 in the morning. Come on, we've got work to do." Mai nodded, and pulled Lin with her to the room where Naru, Ayako, John, Masako and Monk were. When they walked in, Ayako raised an eyebrow, and Monk suggestively waggled his eyebrows.

"Right. Naru, we've done our work, we're going to bed." Monk and Ayako left the room without waiting for a reply from Naru, and John and Masako followed soon after. Mai turned to Naru, who was still doing paperwork.

"What needs doing, Naru?" Without lifting his head, Naru pointed to a massive pile of paperwork in the middle of the table. Groaning, she set to work, poking her tongue out at Lin when he smiled faintly at her response.

Mai had long since calmed down, and now it was like she'd accepted it. But if you looked closely, like Lin was, you would see the slight water in her eyes, and she was tensed just a little. Lin was sat opposite the monitors, typing out his observations, and what they had learnt so far in the past 24 hours.

Every now and then, he'd turn in his seat to watch Mai and Naru, with their heads down doing paperwork. For some reason, it filled him with pride when he thought of how far Naru had come since Gene's death. Sure, he missed Gene, everyone did, but Mai had come to fill that gap. She was like the glue of SPR, she held them all together.

Sometimes Lin marvelled at Mai's patience with Naru, and was always surprised – though he didn't show it – when Mai did everything he asked of her. Never once had she said 'no' to making tea.

He watched as Mai frowned over something in the paperwork.

"Naru?"

"Hn?"

"What should I put for this one?" Without waiting for an answer, she swivelled the paper round so that Naru could look.

"What one?"

"That one." She pointed to it with a finger on her right hand.

Looking down, Naru read the question. "You're doing homework?"

Mai shrugged. "It was in the pile of stuff to do. Anyway, what is it?"

Naru frowned. "Pass me a calculator. Even I can't figure this one out." Mai's eyes widened. Wordlessly – though surprise was in his eyes – Lin handed over the calculator. Tapping away, Naru frowned, and showed Mai the answer.

"31,750." Mai murmured, looking thoroughly confused.

"What was the question?"

"63.5 x 500" Lin blinked.

"Yeah, that's the answer." Mai pulled it back toward her, and looked at the next question, before giving up, crumpling it up, and chucking it at Lin's head. (This caused it to bounce straight off, and Mai to get a glare from her boyfriend of 26 hours).

"Mai, tea."

Mai was laying in bed, tossing and turning, unable to get comfy. The room she was in was where the ghost had first appeared, and she was unable to shut her eyes for even a second. She remembered the Bloody Labyrinth case, where the ghost had been a mere 2 inches from her face.

_Come to me Mai Taniyama._

She sat up so fast she felt dizzy. "Who's there?"

_You'll never know..._

"Listen, whoever you are. We can help you. What do you want?"

_Something money can't buy. Something I never had. A life of my own. A sister. Someone who listens. Who understands me. You can't get me any of that. _

The ghostly voice was sad, and Mai felt a pang of sorrow grab her heart.

"I'm sorry. What's you're name?"

_I have no name. I died during birth._

"Oh my God... I'm so sorry. But then... why are you a ghost?"

_I don't know. I'm sorry, I never meant to hurt any of you. But it seems to be in my nature. I cannot help it. _

"I really am sorry. Do you want to talk to Naru, our boss?"

_I cannot. Only you can hear me. But I could interact with him through you._

"You mean... possession?"

_Yes._

Mai shuddered. Here she was sitting in her room, at 4am, talking to a ghost that only she could apparently hear. What was more, was that a shiki had said that it'd only hurt Mai if the ghost possessing her knew her. And yet... how could Mai know someone who had no name, and had died at birth? It just didn't add up.

She had a gut feeling that this case would unearth some secrets that would change her life forever.

Lin walked into her room, because he had to get through hers to go into his. "Night, Mai."

"Night. Thank you, Lin – kun."

"For what?" Mai could practically _taste_ his frown.

"Everything." She heard him laugh, and raised her head up, to look at him. It was dawn, and she was tired. "The ghost just spoke to me." She hadn't meant to say it.

"What!" He frowned again.

Mai nodded. "I know. Here, I'll write down the conversation."

Once she'd done that, Lin looked it over. "Thanks, Mai. This'll help a lot."

"No problem. At least I'm useful for something, right?" Mai smiled, but it was half – hearted, and weak, which – of course – made Lin see right through it. But, being the gentleman that he was, he didn't mention it, but instead gave her a hug, and went to bed.

Mai slept. And she slept. And she slept. In fact, she slept for 14 hours straight. So it was about 6pm when she awoke from her deep slumber.

"Mrg...Nuh...uh...Mrg...grrr..." This was her way of waking herself up. However, she stopped moaning when she heard voices just outside the room. It sounded like Masako, Lin and... Naru?

Halting her groaning, Mai listened in to their hushed conversation.

"It's weird, Naru... There's a spirit in her room, but the temperature is as normal, and the aura surrounding it is happy, like... like it doesn't want to intentionally hurt her. And, Lin – san said that the shiki necklace would only hurt if the ghost knew Mai. But, the age of the spirit is young, like a newborn who died at birth, and it said that Mai would never know who it was. And another thing. Based on the conversation the ghost held with Mai, the spirit must know Mai personally for only Mai to be able to hear it. I'm worried for her, and yet... I think the only one who can solve this is you guys. It's strange... it's like I can only sense it when it wants me to."

"Hmm... Lin, what did you find on this house?"

"Nothing. The owners who lived here previously just disappeared one day. Moved out without telling anyone."

"Strange. Has John exorcised the room?"

"Yes. There was nothing there. I think the ghost is site bound."

"I agree. Definitely weird. Someone needs to wake Mai up. She's been asleep for 14 hours, and it's now 6pm."

Mai got out of bed, ignoring the conversation outside. She brushed her teeth, and spat the toothpaste mix into the sink, then used Listerine, wincing as she accidentally swallowed some. Moving back into her room (shared with Masako) she cracked open the door, and stepped out.

"Morning... uhh..." Mai rubbed her eyes, ignoring the amused glances she got. Apparently John, Ayako and Monk had joined in the conversation since she'd got out of bed.

"Awwh, little Mai isn't an afternoon person." Mai shot Monk a glare.

"Ah, so it's awake." Mai's glare died, and she smiled at Lin, giving him a hug. He kissed her cheek, ignoring the dull ache in his back as he bent down to do so.

"Wa – hey!" Ayako smacked Monk around the head, and Mai released Lin.

"Tea." Everyone started laughing – save Lin and Naru, but even those two cracked small smiles. "What's funny?"

"Well... you sounded just like Naru when you did that..." Mai glared at Ayako, and shuffled toward the monitors, still rubbing her eyes.

Ayako smiled at her adopted sister (they were like sisters) and fixed her some tea. "Is there any progress on the monitors?" Mai had waken up now, though that was probably because she'd drained her tea the minute Ayako had set it down.

Naru shook his head. "No. This case is really weird."

Mai nodded. She hadn't dreamed last night, which was a novelty within itself.

"Anyone want takeaway?"

There was a chorus of 'yes', and Monk was the loudest, so Lin called the local chip shop and placed orders for everyone. "Where are the owners?"

"They've gone on holiday, so we have the house to ourselves. They call every few hours or so." Mai nodded, just as Lin put the phone down.

"It'll be here in 20 minutes."

"So, what have you guys been doing today?"

"Oh, nothing much. Took another walk through the house, taking temperatures, and then Ayako and I walked to the library to look for information, Masako and John went for a walk in a local park, and Naru took a walk around the block, trying to find some decent tea bags. Lin – san has been staying here, doing more research, and checking up on you every now and then."

"Oh, you shouldn't have done that. Lin – kun, you could've gone out too. I wouldn't have minded."

He smiled softly. "I know. But I wanted to. I didn't want you to wake up to find no one here. I had to stay behind anyway..." He trailed off.

"Mai, while the takeaways are coming, go get plates and tomato sauce. And tea!"

Mai nodded, and wandered out of the room, looking at the signs to see where the plates were. Wait, hang on... they'd be in the kitchen... duh. Knowing Naru was probably watching, to make sure she didn't get lost, she took a right and found the kitchen, grabbing plates from a cupboard.

She started to feel nauseous, so she put the plates down, and gripped the counter slightly. Then a cold feeling took her over, and another being joined her.

_Move over. _

'No! Get out of my head!'

With a firm shove, Mai felt herself being pushed to the back of her own head, and all she could do was watch as this second being acted like her, picking up the plates and taking them back into the base where the rest of the SPR crew were.

**A/N: Mai's speech as she's possessed will be like this: 'Hey, Naru!' You'll know she's not possessed when it goes back to "Naru!". Okay, that's all. Oh, no it's not. Because she's possessed, she'll speak in a different manner, so no moaning of Mai OOCness in the reviews!**

'I got the plates. I got the tea. Sauce is in the kitchen.' Mai set the plates down, and wandered back into the kitchen to get the tea, plonking it down in front of Naru. Some tea splashed over the edge, and landed on Naru's hand. In return, Mai got a glare that would've killed her seven times over, had she been anyone else.

But Mai Taniyama was not anyone else. She'd spent a year and a bit around Naru's glares, so they affected her no more.

'I'm going to examine the monitors, now. Lin, pass me some headphones, please.' She sat down next to Lin, and started examining the monitors, before she starting laughing quietly to herself. The laugh grew louder, and more evil, and the team looked at her as her eyes flashed red. Naru and Lin exchanged glances, and John stepped forward, nodding.

"In the beginning there was word..."

Naru tuned him out, as he'd heard it all before, and sneaked up behind Mai, restraining her arms.

'Let me go, you moron! Let me go, I say!'

Then her voice changed, and it became deeper, more masculine. Lin groaned softly, and Monk looked at him in sympathy, knowing how this must feel. It couldn't have been easy watching your girlfriend be possessed. Twice in two days.

As John continued to exorcise the ghost, Mai's eyes glowed red, and she opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out. Her face contorted in agony – now completely healed, and only the faintest scarring – and then she collapsed, her face now completely relaxed. Naru caught her as she fell, and set her gently on the ground. Masako and John wandered about the room, trying to sense spirits. Once Masako cleared the room, the doorbell rang, and Lin went to get the door and takeaway food.

Half an hour later, they were all finishing up the remnants of their tea (or breakfast, for Mai). She'd gone through a lot in the past 24 hours, and Naru was contemplating whether to send her back to SPR base. Was it too dangerous for her?

Sure, all the other cases had been dangerous, but never like this. Never before had she been possessed, and hurt by her possessed self in under 24 hours. Never before had Monk failed in cheering her up.

Still, first time for everything...

He watched her, inconspicuously, of course, as she bent over paperwork that needed doing. Her hand was steady, the writing readable** (which is more than I can say for my writing, even when I'm taking my time, it's messy, like a spider having a fit across a page!... Okay... not quite like that... but it's messy. Always has been. Alright, fine. Shutting up now.)**, and the aura surrounding her was nice and relaxed, like she hadn't a care in the world.

In the 43 hours or so that they'd been dating (Lin hated the term 'going out'. It sounded trashy.), Lin had never once kissed her properly. She'd had her first kiss (on the cheek, forehead), but she hadn't had her first French kiss with tongue and stuff **(I hate the word 'snog', it sounds piggish, AND my OpenOffice document doesn't recognise it as a word.)**. She knew that Lin was giving her time to back out, but she wasn't going to.

Lin was letting her get her head around the whole 'dating' thing, and he knew about her lack of experience when it comes to boys. There weren't many 18 year old innocent teens about these days,** (this is just for the purpose of the story, so no moaning about 'plenty of teens are innocent'. I made it up for the story.)** so he was giving her a chance to know her own mind, to make sure that she didn't throw away her first on a guy she wasn't sure she loved.

Lin was 26, so he'd had his first, and he'd thrown it away to a girl who was cheating on him. **(Again, made up for the story.) ** He didn't want Mai to lose her first when she wasn't sure. He wouldn't force her to do anything, or be anyone. As long as she was herself, he was happy.

And if she decided to keep dating him, and maybe go further, he'd make her first time be as special as his could've been. But he'd marry her first.

He was all about honour, and he wanted this relationship to last as long as possible.

**(Apologies if the last few paragraphs were OOC.)**

**Okay, end of chapter. Hopefully this was as good as the first chapter was. If it wasn't, then tell me why, and how to improve.**

**If anything confused you, then just know that it'll be cleared up soon, in the next few chapters, but feel free to PM me anything. Apologies for the length.**

**Review, and you all get glomped by your favourite anime crush. But, if you're like me, with a list of 25 anime guys you'd LOVE to do, then you can have 'em all :)**

**^^^ No exaggerations. I actually DO have a list of 25 anime guys I'd love to do. Seriously.**

_**Anyway, this took longer than it should to get up, because we had a big thunder storm, which made the Internet go down, and it took a while to get back up. As soon as this text finishes, I'll be writing the third chapter. And... go :)**_

_**(Though, if you're reading this, it's the next chapter, soo...)**_

**Yeah, review. Now :)**


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